


Faction Paradox: Cousin Anastasia, Initiation.

by The_faction_known_as_dot_dot_dot



Series: Faction Paradox: Cousin Anastasia [1]
Category: Faction Paradox (Audio Plays), Faction Paradox (Books & Audio), Faction Paradox - Various Authors
Genre: Anastasia conspiracy taken to a new level, F/F, Foreshadowing, Paradox, Rasputin is in Faction Paradox, Roommates, Semi-Episodic, Slow To Update, Tags Are Hard, Voodoo, softish, the book of the war, with Time travel and voodoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:33:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28567773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_faction_known_as_dot_dot_dot/pseuds/The_faction_known_as_dot_dot_dot
Summary: The Book Of The War tells us of the Rise and Fall of Cousin Anastasia. For the first time her story is told.
Relationships: Octavia Sutherland | Cousin Octavia/Cousin Anastasia Romanov
Series: Faction Paradox: Cousin Anastasia [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2093166





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> This is hard. I have had this idea for a long time. And wanted to do it some bit might not fit with the established discontinuity and the characterisation might be of a big as I am yet to read Waring states. But I have read the Book Of The War. So here I go.

I remember the days before this. Before the fall. The forces of the Eleven-Day-Empier close in on me. What led to this.? Did it all start on the day of my execution? Did it all start with the arrival of Rasputin.? Did it start the day I was born? Did it start with the first Romanovs? Did it start when Russia was formed? Did it start when the first human evolved? Did it start when a fish pulled itself from the water? Did it start with the first vertebra? Did is start with the first Spark of Life when the great houses seeded the universe. Did it start with the Anchoring Of The Thread? Was This always doomed to be my fate? I don’t know and dose it truly matter soon her forces will penetrate my stronghold and the woman I love will kill me.


	2. The execution of one Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevan Of Russia

It began with my death. My Family and I had be raised that we were chosen by god to rule. we had been captured they told us that we where being moved to a safer location. They forced us in to a small room. They allowed my Garth to bring to chairs one for my brother and one for my mother. They then spoke that we where to be executed. My farther last words where ‘what? What?’ They then repeated what they said and opened fire. my farther and mother where dead. one of my sisters was injured. They came at us with bayonets, that did not kill us so they started shooting us in the head. My brother was then killed as was my oldest sister. Me and and my last sister cowered with our hand over our heads. Everything froze i front of me where three beings dressed in all black wearing bones of creatures I had never seen, manifested. They told me that they could save me and only me. I ask them who they where. And they told me that they where real rebels, not like the rabble that had killed my family. They told me that they where a family. They told me that both god and Satan where evil. And that I could help the rebels by joining them and learning from them. And the. They told me their name. Faction Paradox.   
  


I said yes.   
  


they copied me and laid my fake where is was. And the. They fixed me. And we vanished.   
  


I stepped in to a grand palace. And was taken to an altar. Standing there where five more cultist. The ones that had taken me here vanished. and the five spoke they initiated me and one of them the one at the front spoke with my voice. The one with my voice cut them selves and filed a goblet with their blood. I drunk it. And then the one with my voice took of her mask. And under it was my face but years older then mine. She gave me her mask and vanished. I never saw her again. And nor did I ever meet my last self. I had mad a paradox. And so as Little Sister Anastasia I chose my shadow weapon a blade made of diamond, I had I fused to my shadow. And was take along with two other initiates to the dorm where we would be trained. It was here that I met her Octavia like me she was a Little sister of Paradox. I still did not understand much of what was happening. But Octavia helped me understand, even though she was from an earlier point in time, she told me that she was Witchblood, that she could see inside everyone their past, present, and future. She told me that she could even change it to some extent, and that this was why the Faction had recruited her. Yet she could not see my future, nor any of the Factions. She fascinated me I had never spoken to anyone form The past and never to anyone from Scotland. She know so much for someone from such a backwards time, perhaps, Scotland was much more advanced in that time than Russia was at mine. It was then that I got really confused, you see I realised I was speaking english. I did not know how to speak Fluent English, I was also understanding English. It was then That Octavia told me that the place we where in was called the Eleven-Day-Empire and that as it was based of London the capital of England it translated everything in to English. But if I really wanted to I could still speak in Russian here, but only Russian speakers would understand.   
  


We where taken to our dorm. It was smallish I had never slept in a room this small. Me and Octavia shared the same dorm. I did not know how two people could share a room so small, but Octavia seemed to find the room large. I asked her why she was under the impression that this room was large. And she told me the her family had slept in one room half the size of this. I replied by telling her that not even the privy was that small. She laughed, is was such a wonderful heartfelt laugh it mad me smile. ‘Princess,’ she said ‘you may have grown up in a palace but not everyone did, this room is quite spacious for most people from my time.’ I smiled a soft smile. I wonder how I had never realised that some people live like this and that I had grown up in luxury. Perhaps this is why the Bolsheviks tried to excite me. Perhaps they saw me and my family as stuck up egomaniacs. I get that and I agree that we where. I once more smile at Octavia, and let out a laugh, soon after she joins in and we are laughing loudly in complete and utter uncontrolled jubilation.

Things where going to be fun here.


	3. Morlocks, Eloi and Thirteen Days

Octavia did waken me from my slumber. I smiled. And then I frowned. I remembered what had happened. My family had been killed and I had laughed. I ask Octavia what had happened, as I felt tears form in my eyes. Octavia then did explain that the joy I had felt was stress. I had not felt like stress it had felt like joy. I explain this and how I fear that I have grow cold and evil. And Octavia tells me that I have not, she may have not know me for log. But she could see I was not a bad person. She could feel it in my past. The confusion created by me losing my family and the joining a time travelling voodoo death cult, would put anyone into culture shock. Octavia explains that she to feels some shock, admittedly as she latter explains not as strong as mine due to her being Witchblood.   
  
I wonder if it is not shock but this place this mask. I wonder if I am becoming a monster. I look out of my window and see a building whisper to me. A building the whispers it’s name. ‘ _The House Of Lords.’_ that is what it is called. It is the darkest of shadows in this realm of shadows. As it whispers things, things which should not be mentioned. It whispers of the my rise and my fall. It whispers ‘13’. It whispers death. I whispers of the fall. It whispers of the War. The War between the Houses and their Enemy. It whispers that the Enemy of my Enemy is my Enemy.

I fall to the floor. Fear etched on my face. The fear of history. The fear of The one who tainted my family. The fear of my self. And the fear of Octavia. As I fall it whispers one last thing to me ‘all hail Anastasia Little sister of Paradox. All hail Anastasia soon to be Cousin of Paradox. All hail Anastasia thrice remove Grandmother of paradox!’

I lay on the floor twitching. I look of concern crosses the face of Octavia. A look of _Compassion_. I feel fear far greater than I ever have. Yet I also feel strong. Empowered. Free. And immortal! I then as I recall I violently threw up a black ichor. And in it I saw my self older, I saw my self on a throne. I saw my self thrice dead! And then I saw Octavia, not in the Ichor but with my own eyes leaning over me. Helping me. Carrying me. Take me to someone who could help. And then unconscious takes me.

I woke in a room of shadows, but not harsh shadows like the House Of Lords. Kind shadows, friendly shadows. The Shadows which are my kin. And a man. The man is unsettling, older than his body, far older than his shadow, like a Morlock. Octavia is also her holding me. If I had only know her for less than a day, then why did it feel like I had know her for an eternity, why did I feel as though we were one? And one last person. A child, a little girl holding a black balloon. Her shadow stretches across the room. It is not her shadow. It is like a gun, mounted on a large car with treads. Yet she is so child like. So young, yet under it all so far from my time. So lost, so terrible, so sad, so happy. A contradiction, an Eloi. I remember once more passing in to the real estate of sleep and shadow.

I dream of Great Houses. I dream of War. I dream of a woman with raven hair eating 11 Days. I dream of Octavia, who will always be with me till the day of my three deaths. I dream of an Enemy. But not. My Enemy. I dream of my Grandfather split in two yet still one. In a black Dress and in Bones of a great creature. I dream of beings with out body, nought but ideas. I dream of my old family dead. I dream of my new family fallowing the way of death. I dream of _Compassion._ I dream once more of Octavia, her hand in mine. On a green hill. Laying. looking in to each other’s eyes.

I wake. I am still in the room of kind Shadows. Octavia I still holding me. I smile. I see the Morlock. In my mind I feel the word Father form. He is Father Morlock of the Eleven-Day-Empier. The child I still here once more in my mind words form. Little sister. She is Little Sister Eloi of the Eleven-Day-Empier. I ask where I am yet at that I feel pain. The farther Morlock of the Eleven-Day-Empier informs me that Octavia brought me to a place of healing and that he help me recover. Once more I smile at Octavia. She looks concerned for me. I ask if I may leave. The Father Morlock of the Eleven-Day-Empier tells me that I can leave, but that Octavia should keep an eye on I case any more shadows of what is yet to come enter my mind. The Little Sister Eloi giggles. And asks me if I would like the ballon. I respectfully decline. She then asked me again if I want the ballon before going on to explain that is o don’t take it she will skin me alive and use bio manipulation to keep me alive forever with out skin. It goes without saying that after that I take the ballon. It flouted just above my head.

It cast no shadow. 

I can feel the future coming. I would be scared yet I have Octavia at my side and together we can face it.


	4. Parliament and a Mad Monk

The next day me and Octavia are take to see Parliament. We also know that we might get a patron. Little Sister Eloi is their as well even though she already has a patron. Father Morlock. Inside Parliament the parents are gathered. Led by the four Godparents of which only three are present. Octavia told me that no one ever sees the fourth godparent or their family. Shadows filter across the walls, wielding weapons of which at that time I could not describe. One of the three godparents takes the speaker of the houses stand. She is Godmother Tide of the family Blood. She patroned Morlock. Morlock Is seated between two other parents, one who’s name I later find out is Father Sabbath, and one ,a formidable woman, Mother Quelch. One for each family. One for each wing. next to Morlock (even though Quelch and Sabbath are on either side of him) is an empty seat. For the fourth Family, for the fourth wing. I look around and see someone I believed was dead. Grigori Rasputin. The Mad Monk. He looks at me. His hair tangled around the horns of his mask. The words Father Dyavol drift in to my mind. I ask my self with fear why is her here? How is he here? And then I see it. He was taken from the point of his death three times.   
  
Godmother Tide speaks. She addresses Parliament. She talks about a Protocol she knows no one fallows. She discuses The War. She discusses the other Houses. And she discusses Death. And a law is passed. An a law on Dust. A law about a Forman. I did not understand the law I still do not understand it now. The session of Parliament is closed. The parents file out. Morlock approaches Octavia, and he tells her he will patron her. And Dyavol approaches me. if it had been but three days ago I would have fled. But perhaps this place. This mask. Made me stronger. But I doubt that. I am almost entirely sure that it is Octavia who has made me stronger. She looks at me smiles and nods. And I let Dyavol Patron me in the Faction Paradox. I let the thing that ruined my old family teach me. But my old family were no long my family. I had a new family. I had the Faction. I had Octavia. I had Dyavol. I had Morlock. And I had Eloi. But of my new family Octavia was by far my favourite. We had so much fun. We messed around. We made Paradoxes. We changed the past. We lived as one. We lived like there was nothing but the now. We are Children of Paradox. I remember us laughing after we had found our patrons. Two 17 year olds, well debatably age had no meaning in the Faction, have ing fun and taking on the universal establishment. Those where the best of days. When we where young. When we where but Little Siblings in the Faction. When we where the closest.   
  


We returned to our dorm after that. I fell on to my bed giggling like a school girl. Octavia falls next to my laughing too. We talked for a bit. We talked about how impossible this all was. We talk about our plans. We talked about fun. But that was not important what was important, was after the talking. The beautiful silence when we just looked in to each other’s eyes. When I brushed a strand of hair out of her face. When we laid like that for what felt like and eternity. That was the most important thing in my entire life. That silence. That perfect segment of reality. Something that made life worth living.


	5. Shadows of what is yet to come

As time passes I felt a growing senses of dread. The whole city gives of a feeling of fear. The only place I felt safe is with Octavia. The fear does ease, if not completely stop, around the Houses of Lords. I sat with Octavia in our dorm the feeling of dread had grow stronger and stronger I had could no long leave the dorm room with out around an hour of coxing by Octavia and promises that she would not leave me. I had become so fearful that I would have to have my training from Dyavol directly next to the House of Lords, with Octavia watching. And then after my trainig I would watch Octavia’s. Every night I would have the same dreams. Dreams of what seems to be my first home. Except that bits of the city kept vanishing. And the number 13 filled my mind. Every morning I would wake up screaming and Octavia would have to calm me. She was the only person who cloud clam me. Morlock had taken a special interest in my dreams. Once a month I would go and see him with Octavia. Eloi would also be their standing their watching as Morlock ran tests on me. I hated it. I only went because Octavia made me.   
I don’t know why Octavia is the only one who can get me out of my room. Perhaps I just see her as the person who understands me. Or preheat she shares my dream due to her Witch Blood. I don’t know I have never figured out how the witch blood worked.  
In my mind I could feel an urge to enter the the House of Lords, I did not as I knew I should follow the rules and not enter. I did not pretend to understand these rules. But I followed them whatever due to the encouragement from Octavia.   
On ‘day’ me Octavia and Eloi where take out of the Empire to see some other times. I remember how I clung on to Octavia continually through out the journey and the trip. I hated it. I was so far from the House of Lords. I could feel the dread of being somewhere new. We did see what I would now describe as wonderful sights, but back then all I could think of was the feeling of fear and dread, and how I must stay as close as possible to Octavia. I could smell the War. The temporal damage. The Faction may be a lesser evil in this War but they where still evil. I would stay with them until I could my own Red Faction. A free Faction. One which seeks to end this War and place the people who where best for the the universe in charge. When we returned to the empire, me and Octavia headed to our dorm. I held her close. I had hated leaving the Empire. but I knew I was safe as long as Octavia was their for me.


	6. Epilogue

As I Look back on my first years in the Faction I can see how it all lead to here. Octavia at the doors ready to kill me. I look back and see how innocent I was. If only I had stayed loyal to the Faction Paradox protocols this would not be happening. If only I had stayed a Little Sister. But no. I had to get promoted complete my training with Dyavol. Yes it was he fault. He made me lose my way. He built up the fear. It was his fault he turned me against the woman I love and now he is dead and I am soon to follow. I feel a tear run down my face. ‘Heh’ we are all a fault. Not just Dyavol, me, the universe, everyone except Octavia. This is the last I will see of this War.


End file.
